Knitting machine



March 10, 1925- G. P. BOSWORTH KNITTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 2.7, 1919 Invsnibr by (H2538.

March 10, 1925- G. P. BOSWORTH KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 27, 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet l'iwe 21/7/ 07 Mmh 1925- P. BOSWORTH KNITTING MACHINE 3 Sheet -s 3 Filed Dec. 27, 1919 IHHIHHIHIW ior: I

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Patented Mar. 3%, 1%25.

hairs stares Application filed December To all whom it may concern:-

Be it known that I, GEORGE Primer Bos- WORTH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Central Falls, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement in Knitting Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to knitting machines and more particularly, though not exclusively, to spring needle knittin machines, and is an improvement upon t e invention disclosed in my Patent No. 1,490,- 908, Apr. 22, 1924, Serial No. 306,094, filed June 23, 1919.

In the accompanying drawings I have,

' merely for the purposes of illustration, disclosed a'machine embodying the character istics of my invention wherein:

Fi 1 is a vertical seotionthrough the knitting head of the machine;

Fig. 2 illustrates in detail, and greatlyenlarged, the i elation of the Web holder and needle at the time the web holder is supporting the yarn upon its upper nib;

Fig. 3 illustrates the parts shown in Fig. 2 in position with the hook resting against the lower nib just prior to'movement of'the web holder into its web holding position.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the web holder ring showing the relation of the presser cams to the web holder cams and adjusting means therefor;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4 and the contiguous portion of the needle cam;

. Fig. 6 is a' combined plan and section of the webholder supporting ring and cams for functioning said webholjders; and

Fig. 7 is avertical section on line 7-7 of Fig. 4. i

In the drawings, 1 represents'a needle carrier of a circular knitting machine, this type of machine be' shown merely for convenience as obvious y a straight bar or other type of machine may be employed to invention is to that clajssof machines known exemplify features of this invention. Furthermore the present adaptation of the as spring" needle machines wherein the needleflcarrier and needle functioning elements or cams are given relatively rotary or reciprocatory movement according to the enoraen runny n'oswo'nrrr, or onnraan FALLS, nnonnrsn, ASSIGNOR T0 rnlLx. COMPANY, or rnwrooxnr, nHonE ISLAND, a ooarornrron or nassncnosnrcrs.

KNITTING Maurit an.

a7, 1819. serial No. senses.

nature of the work to be produced although,

form of a cylinder adapted to receive rotary and reciprocatory motion in a manner characteristic of the Banner type of, knitting machine, although it will be readily seen that within the scope and purpose of the invention the needle carrier may be held stationary and the knitting cam or needle functioning means be revolved.

The needle carrier 1 is provided with a series of spring beard needles 2 having the usual movement imparted thereto by stitch cams 3 of any suitable design but herein similar to those employed in the machine of said patent. The means for revolving and reciprocating the needle carrier being old and well known to those skilled in the art further description and illustration thereof is omitted.

grooves 5 within which suitable web'holders 6 are arranged, said web holders being dis posed in the usual manner in alternation with the needles 2. In practically all types of knitting machines capable of producing reciprocatln knitting as well. as rotary kn1tt1ng, w other such machine employs lach, spring or other types of needles, con- I siderable difliculty has been experienced in taking care of the longstrands of yarn leading from the yarn guides past idle orelevated needles to the active needles, during reciprocating knitting and especially where web holders, sinkers or similar elements are employed, it being desirable to retain the said long strands of yarn above the web engaging portions of the web holders in order to prevent said yarn from being sunk be tween the idle needles of the series by said web holders and thereby eliminate all danger of such yarn being rupturedby the action of the web holders during movements thereof to engage the web. In this connec. tion one method of 'efi'ecting the results above described is to provide the web hold ers with two nibs, a lower-nib 7 and an upper nib 8. The lower nibs 7 perform the functions common to web holders of'the ordinary latch or spring needle knitting mavi,2e,159

S pported upon and movable with the chines, but they principally serve as means to cooperate with the needles during-their downward movements in measuring the yarn for the new loops. ()rdinaril'y the upper nib 8 is employed in engaging the web when the web holder is advanced to prevent the newly formed loop of said web from being carried upward by the needles while said needles are being raised to yarn'receiving-positions, said upper nib and said lower nib :tormlng a throat 9 to receive said web durin the functioning of said web holders.

In order to render the upper nib8 ettective as a yarn supporting element during reciprocating knitting as hereinbefore stated, said web holders are retracted only just enough to substantially align the extremities oiisaid upper nibs with the outer plane or the shanks of the needles as shown at the left hand side of Fi 1 and in Fig. Q so that,

when; the needles areelevated as in Fig. 2 the yarn shown at a will be held by said needles upon said upper nibs and be prevented trom dropping down against the lower nibs 7 so as to be ruptured when said web holders advance to engage the web.

lit will be obvious by referring to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive that the shank out the needle is much larger in diameter through that portion aligning with said upper nib when the needle is elevated than it is through the portion thereof which aligns with said up per nib when it is approaching its lower posaid upper nib a. gap orspace 12. will be sition as shown in Big. 3, the difierence in the two portions of said needle being due to the fact that the needle shank within theho'ok and at its tront or outer edge is tapered at 10, away from the beard 11 thereof.

t'fonsequently when the thinner portion of said needle is brought into alignment with.

' Fig. 2 and at the same time provide means whereby the initial starting points of retraction of said web holders, during alternate movements of the needle carrier, may be varied to correspond with the respec tive knittin disturbing t e ultimate of said web holders.

oint of retraction o accomplish the above result I employ the usual cap rin%e13 which is mounted upon the web-holder dring 4 and has formed in its underface a suitablechannel 14 to receive the uplwardly extending butts 15 of the web waves of the needles without elders,

me ias shown most clearly in Fig. 6. The greaterportion of the channel 14; isarranged concentric with the axis of said needle c lindelf and as-long" as the butts of said web elders. remain in this cl1annel.no radial movement thereoi will take place, and the web holders will remain advanced to their innermost positions.

Mounted upon said ring are web holder advancing? and retracting cams which operate to function said web holders in cooperation with the needles during reciprocating or rotary knitting as the case may be.

In the copending application hereinbefore'referred to as well asin my Patent No. 1.235; 545 of August 7 1917, the retracing card for said web holders consists of a single cam of suthcient length to function said web holders respectively during alternate movements of the needle carrier while separate advancing cams are disposed in cooperative relation with opposite ends of said retract-- ing cam. The objection to certain retracting cement the prior art is that it is diilicult to adjust opposite ends thereof so as to etiectthe desired cooperation between the web holders and certain needles of the knitting waves without disturbing the ultimate retracted positions of said web holders necessary to properly support the yarn-against the stems oil the elevated needles. in the present example l have shown means for retracting said web holders whichv consists of a central relatively fixed cam member 16 having an outer curved face 17 arranged substantially concentric with the axis of the needle cylinder and at a distance therefrom sufiicient, by reason of its engagement with the web-holder butts, to retain said web holders at the desired 'outer'extentot their. retraction, said central. cam member being preferably formed of hardened steel or other suitable material so as to enable it to withstand the severe action imposed thereon by the revolving web holders.

In addition tosaid centrally fixed cam said web holder retracting'means includes "two adjustable wing cams 18 and 19,- respectively pivoted at oppdsite ends of said fixed cam member 17 upon suitable pivots such as screws 20, and having outer curved guiding surfaces 18" and 19 respectively which cooperate with the surface 17 of said central cam to retract said web holders. The ends of said wing cams most remote tromsaid fixed cam member, or in other words, the movable ends thereof are arranged to be adjusted toward and away from the axis of said cam ring by independently adjusting means so as to vary the relation of said ends with respect to the terminal portions of the part of said cam ring forming the inner circular wall of the channel 14:, whereby the initial point of retraction of the web holders may be varied. To accompl'sh'the individual adjustment of said movable cam ends, I have provided herein means consisting of a link 21 arranged/against the upper surface of the cap ring 13and having connection with the movable end of its wing cams by means of a screw 22 which extends through a slot 23 formed in said cap to allow the necessary movement of said cam to take place. The link 21 extends outwardly beyond the periphery of said cap ring and has a depending slotted ortion 24. This slotted portion of said lint is arranged betweenshoulders 25 and 26 formed upon an adjusting screw 27 having screw threaded engagement with the adjacent portion of said cap ring. By this arrangement it will be obvious that upon the rotation of the screw 27 in one direction or the other, corresponding movement will be imparted through the screw 22 to the free end of the cam connected with the lower end of said screw and a very accurate and fine adjustment ofsaid cam-or cams may be accomplished.

Obviously the screw 22may, within the scope and'purpose of the invention, be alone employed as the locking means for said cam, the same being released slightly when adjustment of said cam is desired and tightened upon the completion of said adjustment so as to clamp the cam connected thereto firmly against the under surface of said cap ring. It is also desirable that the advanceing web holder cams be independently adjustable althou h there is not the necessity for such fine a justment in connection with the latter as with the retracting cam, however in the present example independently adjustable web holder advancing cams are provided herein consisting of cams 28 and 29 arranged respectively upon the opposite side of the channel 14 adjacent to the free ends of the wing earns 18 and 19, each of said'cams having a pivot 30 disposed at a suitable distance from the adjustable end of one of said wing cams. The active ends of said advancing cams are inclined at 31 in the usual manner and these inclined ends are arranged to be moved toward or away from the axis of said ring to any desired point for the purpose of varying the positions of the waves produced by said web holders. As a means for securing the ends of said advancing cams-in the desired location I pro vide a screw 32 for each cam which extends against t e under side of said ring and thereby maintain said cam in its adjusted position;

During the o 'eration of the machine the butts of the we holders are. brought alter-' nately into contact with the inclined faces 31 of said advancing cams 28 and 29 and are thrown by said inclined surfaces against the portion 34: of the outer surfaces of the adjacent ends of that portion of said cap ring which forms the inner wall of the channel l4, and naturally these portions will be subjected to considerable wear and unless especially prepared will be gouged to such an extent that the paths described by the web holders after leaving said advancing and retractin cams will be very irregular. To obviate this the terminal portions of said ring are constructed of hardened, relatively fixed, steel sections 35 and 36, which extend to points adjacent to the movable ends of the wing cams 18 and 19 respectively, so that all portions of the web holder functioning elements are made of more durable material than are the unexposed portions thereof.

The present arrangement of cams has been described as for the purpose of operating web holders andthis is the preferred application thereof although clearly such cams are very well adapted for operating instruments for sinking the yarn between the needles or in fact for any other elements of like nature to which a similar movement is to be imparted.

As previously stated the present embodiment of the machine includes spring needles which require additional instrumentalities for pressing the beards in order to cast the loops therefrom. In the present example I have shown as means for accomplishing this result, individual pressers 37 substantially of the form illustrated in said copen'ding application to which reference may be had for further information concerning time tions and operations of the same as they form no part of this invention.

While I have herein shown, and described merel for illustrative purposes one specific embo iment of my invention, and have disclosed and discussed in detail the construction and arrangement incidental to such disclosure, it is tobe distinctly understood that the invention is limited neither to the more details or relative arrangement of the parts of the stocking nor the specific application herein shown, but that extensive variations from the illustrations ma. be made without. departing from the principles thereof.

Claims:

1. In combination, a series of need1es,web holders or.-sinkers to cooperate with said needles to hold the web and to support the yarn, a carrier for said needles and said web holders or sinkers, means alternately to function said web holders or sinkers according to the direction of movement of-the moving part, including two concentric, fixed, segmental portions, independently adjustable, retracting inner concentrlc portion; and independently cams at each end' of the i adjustable advancing cams at eachend of the outer concentric portion, and opposed in position to said adjustable retracting cams.

2. In a knitting mechanism, the combination with a series of knitting needles of a series of web holders, means to retract said web holders including a fixed central cam section, independently adjustable wing cam sect-ions arranged at opposite ends of said fixed cam section; and independently adjustable advancing cams disposed adjacent to the movable ends of said wing cam sections.

3. In a knitting machine, the combination of radially movable knitting elements, means alternately to function said elements in reciprocating knitting according to the direction of movement thereof, said. means including independently adjustable retracting cams, an adjusting screw having spaced shoulders and movable axially in a direction.

substantially parallel with the plane of movement of said cams; and means operatively connecting one of said cams with the said screw between said shoulders.

4. In a knitting machine, the combi ation of a needle cylinder having upright needles, a bed ring outside of and at the upper end of the needle cylinder, radially movable sinkers or web holders mounted in said bed ring toeooperate with the upright needles,

a sinker cap ring mounted upon said bed ring outside of and concentric with the needles, and means alternately to function said'sinkers or web holders in reciprocating knitting according to the direction of movement thereof, sa'id means including independently adjustable cams, a separate adjusting link for each retracting cam, each of said links'overlying said cap ring and exposed for adjustment in such position, and adjusting means for each of said links, said adjusting means being so positioned with respect to the links that the latter are freely exposed at the upper surface of the cap ring for adjustment, said adjustin means being adapted positively to move sald links in opposite directions,

5.- In a knitting machine, thecombination of radially movable knitting elements, means alternately to function said elements. in reciprocating knitting according to the direc-' tion of movement thereof, said means ineluding independently adjustable retracting cams, and meansindividu ally and positively to cont-roL movement of said retracting cams in opposite directions including a separate link attached to said cams respectively, and a sci-eivstructurally distinct from each link but having rotatable engagement with the respective link and screw threaded engagement with a fixed-member, whereby pre-' each end of the inner concentrieportion, a

fixed central cam section between said independently adjustable, retracting cams; and independently adjustable, advancing cams at each end of the outer, concentric portion, and opposed in position to said adjustable retracting cams,

*7. In a knitting mechanism, the combiner tion with a series of knitting needles, a corresponding series of web holders cooperating with the needles to hold the web, a carrier for said needles and said web holders, means alternately to function said web holders according to the direction of movement of the moving part including two concentric, fixed, segmental portions, independently adjustable, retracting cams at each endof the inner concentric portion, independent means for respectively adjusting said retracting cams and independently adjustable advancing cams at each end of the outer concentric portion and opposed in position to said adjustable retracting cams.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE PLINEY BOSWORTH. 

